Similar stories:
His Lordship's Secret by Samantha SoRelle London 1818 Alfred Pennington, the Earl of Crawford, knows someone wants him dead. An illicit boxing match seems the perfect opportunity to hire a champion fighter to watch his back, but Alfie is shocked to recognize the beaten and bloody challenger as his childhood friend, Dominick, one of the few people who knows the truth about Alfieās past. Life has been hard for Dominick, so he canāt believe his luck when Alfieānow with fine manners and a fancy titleāoffers him a chance to escape the slums in order to catch a potential killer. Thatās difficult enough, but not falling in love with the refined, confident man his friend has become may prove trickier still. The investigation draws the two men closer than ever, but it becomes clear that their years apart may prove too much to overcome. As the danger mounts, can they find their way through the past to a future together? Or will hidden secrets cost them their happinessā¦ and their lives? His Lordship's Secret is the first novel in the His Lordship's Mysteries series. |
Louisiana Longshot by Jana Deleon It was a hell of a long shot.... CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission everāin Sinful, Louisiana. With a leak at the CIA and a price placed on her head by one of the world's largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off-grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play. Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she's not careful, this investigation might blow her cover and get her killed. Armed with her considerable skills and a group of elderly ladies the locals dub The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it's too late. |
Scarlet Shadows by Scylla Grand Scarlet Shadows is a chapbook of meticulously polished poetry describing a journey: from ignorance and pain to insight and hope. The poems use a combination of rhyme, meter, alliteration, assonance, and other literary techniques. |
The Hanged Man by K.D. Edwards Book 2 in The Tarot Sequence. Rune Saint John, heir to the fallen Sun Court, finds clues to his Companion Brandās past on a mission into the ruins of his family estate. But while heās still agonizing over whether to tell Brand, a more pressing matter arises. Runeās ward, Max, is nearly kidnapped by the Hanged Man, who has asserted a marriage claim on the young man. Rune isnāt about to lose Max to the Hanged Man and his court, the Gallows, which is known to have unhealthy interests in necromancy and mutilation magics. Urgency will lead Rune and Brand to the family of an old servant, whose own son has fallen into the Hanged Manās orbit. In going to her aid, Rune may find a way to free both young men, but only if heās willing to gamble everything on a decision that will change his life forever. |
No Place for Peace by Tom Dumbrell As Cyrus rides away from the safety of his family in Highcastle to face his destiny in cunning King Simeon's kingdom, Augustus braces himself for the arrival of a new threat: an invading army is coming for the capital. Easthaven's young king will need the support of those closest to him if there is any hope of saving not just the city but their kingdom. Will Thaddeus and Adaline be able to guide Augustus toward victory, or will a magnetic new influence cloud his judgement? What fate awaits Cyrus in Auldhaven, and is there more to Simeon than meets the eye? As Cyrus's journey takes him farther from home than ever before, his future will become more unpredictable. The outcome seems destined to be explosive. War is coming, but the fiercest battles are often fought within. |
The Soul's Aspect by Mark Holloway A healer forced to become a killer for an empire that would grind his country to dust. Kehlem, the sickly son of a widowed physician, has devoted his life to learning his fatherās craft. Wanting to finally step out of his fatherās shadow, he embarks on a project of his own, seeking out the help of Themia, the town's newly arrived Alchemist and a rare wielder of magic. But Themia has secrets of her own, secrets carried from the heart of the empire itself, secrets that would steal Kehlem away from his home and into the empireās Academy for magic users. The Isale Academy beckons, but can Kehlem survive the academy and its brutal regime? And if so, what would he have to become? |
A Threat of Shadows (The Keeper Chronicles Book 1) by JA Andrews #SPBFO Semifinalist Alaric betrayed everything he believed to save Evangeline ā and failed. His last chance to save the woman he loves lies in an ancient Wellstone, a repository of power, buried and lost long ago. Luckāor something more troublingāleads him to a small group searching for the same stone. A disgruntled dwarf, a bumbling wizard, and an elf with an unsettling amount of power. If he can gain their trust, they might help him find the cure. But the Wellstone holds more than he knows, and a terrible evil heād thought defeated is stirring again, searching for the stone. Can the companions survive a traitor, a dragon, and their own pasts to reach the stone before time runs out? |
The Last Lunar Witch by S.F. Henne I only wanted to control my magic, but a single potion catapulted my life into chaosā¦ Iām Nyssa Thornheart, a witch with broken magic. I escaped to the big city to pursue my passion for alchemy and hide from my coven until I fix my powers. If my unstable gifts are exposed, they will be stripped away. To live without magic, thatās a fate worse than death. So I drank a long-forgotten potion in a desperate bid to harness my volatile powers. But when Iām cornered by thugs, I unleash a rare and dangerous magic, tearing the veil between our world and a demonic realm. My new powers are growing stronger and resisting every attempt to subdue them. Now Iām a hunted witch, pursued by both demonic creatures and the authorities determined to protect the realm from the threat I pose. Can I master my magic or will I have to sacrifice my powers before the city falls to demons? For fans of Heather G. Harris and Lindsay Buroker, The Last Lunar Witch is the first book in the fast-paced Lunar Order Chronicles. An urban fantasy series filled with strong women, found family, inner growth, and cozy vibes mixed with heart-pounding action. Dive into S.F. Henneās gripping adventure now! |
Rise of the Storm by Carrie Summers Two prophecies. Two heroes. Only one can be right. Kostan sits upon a splintering throne. Savra huddles in a makeshift cell, awaiting the judgment of those she betrayed. The land grows dark with the blood of Prov and Atal alike. But beyond the human struggles, a graver threat looms. Aided by the rogue mage, Havialo, the Breaking strains at the bones of the Empire. As the land shatters, a dark tide rises. Two prophecies offer slim hopes for humanity. One names Savra as the Empire's savior. The other envisions Kostan leading the war against the darkness. Both can't be right. But if the coming war decides who survives, humanity may find it has murdered its last hope. Scroll up and click to continue the Broken Lands saga, and follow the read with Fate of the Drowned, out now! |
The Catalyst by Anttimatti Pennanen Jon and Gus comes face to face with the legend of an ancient weapon, the Catalyst. Is this mysterious artefact the answer in the fight against the Breathers, a way home, or something else? |
Red Darkling by L. A. Guettler Red Darklingās ship is a weevil-infested piece of junk. Her smuggling business barely brings in enough credits to buy cheap beer. Alien creeps think a blaster can get them favors when their charm fails. Her only company is a glitchy cat and the occasional hook-up. Her life is dirty, dangerous, and lonely: just how she likes it. It all takes a turn for the worse when things start going well. A little too well. Partying with movie stars, weekends in paradise, troublesome people turning up deadāitās maddening. Who is this anonymous benefactor, and why does he think she needs protecting? |
Heart of the Empire by Carrie Summers The Empire is heartless, but fate is crueler still. Tainted magic spills from a crack between worlds. Quakes rattle the Atal Empire, opening rifts that split towns in two. As the land shatters and betrayals cleave the Emperor's court, ancient power awakens in a flame-haired young woman. Savra, a miner on a remote coast, lives in relative innocence of her Emperor's savage rule. When she turns seventeen, she expects to be assigned sluice mining as her official Function. Everyone from her home village is a sluicer--unless they turn renegade and fugitive like Savra's father. But when she's suddenly torn from her home, turned pawn in the plots of madmen, a chance meeting with a young man provides the first glimpse of her tangled destiny. For nineteen years, Kostan has been groomed for one thing: ascension to the throne. One of thirteen imperial Scions, he bears a wound that won't heal until his twenty-first birthday. On that date, only the shape of the Scions' scars will determine the next Atal Emperor. Savra secretly fears she carries her father's rebel blood. Kostan despises everything the Empire stands for. Neither desires a fight, but as the Empire crumbles around them, they stand on opposite sides of a war. Each could be part of Empire's salvation, if only they could bridge the chasm dividing them. Tangled fates. Epic stakes. Join thousands who have entered the Broken Lands. |
In Sleep You Know, A Story of the Eleriannan by Christiane Knight Even the grittiest blue collar city has a spark of magic under the surface; but in Baltimore, graffiti holds secret messages and artists are the spellcasters. Abandoned buildings hide ancient beings, and at the local club, you might find yourself rubbing shoulders with menacing and otherworldly creatures. If you know how to look, of course. Merrick Moore is just a regular guy with dreams of making it big with his garage band, but not much else - until he crashes a party thrown by reclusive eccentrics. He gets more than he bargained for: new powers, a girlfriend who can visit him in his dreams, and a seven year bond with the local Fae court. When the mortal enemies of his new friends show up to his band's first gig, Merrick finds himself trying to prevent the start of a war that will have consequences for everyone, Fae and human alike. |
The Look of a King by Tom Dumbrell Two young men. One with a dark past, the other with a bright future. Cyrus is a storyteller frustrated by the mundane trappings of village life, while Prince Augustus struggles to meet high expectations after an upbringing of royal privilege in the bustling capital. As both try to forge their own paths, a royal assassination unexpectedly closes the gap between them. The nation of Easthaven is thrown into war with their oppressive neighbours, and so begins a conflict from which neither can walk away. Will a young prince finally measure up to his destiny? Will a storyteller create a legend of his own? Cyrus and Augustus's lives may seem worlds apart, but perhaps they aren't so different after all... |
Fate of the Drowned by Carrie Summers The Empire is shattered. From the northern ice fields to the storm-battered coast, chasms gash the landscape. Hordes of twisted beasts ravage towns and cities, and still, the people riot. But the prophecies offer hope. Bolstered by the newfound, if fragile, peace with Stormshard, Emperor Kostan begins to fortify his rule. Savra, torn between her desire to learn her familyās fate and the duty she feels to her Emperor, delves deeper into her magic in hopes she can answer both calls. At the heart of the Empire, an ancient seal will soon fail. But Savra and Kostan will fight to the end. Together they represent the Empireās last hope for salvation. |
Where Shadows Lie by Allegra Pescatore The Chosen One Is Dead. Magic Is Going Haywire. Time Is Running Out. When the King of Lirin murders Elenor's brother during a failed coup attempt, she must choose between turning a blind eye to her people's suffering or joining the rebellion and helping bring down the tyrant king. There's only one problem--the king is her father. Helped along the way by a grouchy old doctor, a boisterous group of nobles, and a well-meaning assassin, Elenor is forced to dance between duty and defiance as she tries to save her kingdom. Meanwhile, from the rainy streets of Lirin to the scorching dunes of the Mondaer Desert, the ripples of her actions have inadvertently broken a chain of events five centuries in the making. Ancient forces move in the shadows, calling in debts and striking deals. A monster with a thousand faces fingers his knife, ready to kill, and a pair of fugitives run for their lives. Where Shadows Lie is a non-stop, epic fantasy ride featuring an lgbtq+ and disabled protagonist and filled with court intrigue, sizzling romance, adorable baby dragons, and the battle between oppression and freedom. Dive in and get swept away! |
The Reanimator's Soul by Kara Jorgensen An autistic necromancer, his undead lover, and the case that could destroy everything. When a necromancer turns up dead, Oliver and Felipe think it will be the perfect, straightforward case for their new partnership. That is, until it leads them to a clinic promising a cure for magic, but they arenāt the only ones investigating the Institute for the Betterment of the Soul. Oliverās ex, Ansley, is in town, and heās certain the clinic isnāt the paragon of righteousness it claims to be. Forced to help Ansley infiltrate the institute, Oliver fears he is out of his depth in his work and in love as old wounds and bad habits resurface. But Oliver isnāt the only one struggling. Pulled between his cases, Oliver, and his daughter returning home for the summer, Felipe is drowning. Just when he thinks he finally has everything under control, a new reminder of his untimely demise threatens to throw his life into a tailspin once more. Between festering wounds and secrets, Oliver and Felipeās lives stand upon a knifeās edge. To face the evil lurking behind the clinicās genteel smiles, they must stand together or face the destruction of the place they call home. |
Silence is Silver by Andrew Watson The Urdahl believe pain is inevitable. But if one can lean into that suffering they can achieve anything. Beneath the desert sands, Bas has spent his entire life training to become a fully-fledged Urdahl. And now his time has come to prove his worth. First, he must drink from the Seeing Bowl to clear his clouded mind and witness visions bestowed to him by ancient deities. Next, he must prove strength of body with the Passage of the High Pass. But destiny is shrouded in red and strength of arm will not be enough to survive its true tests. Will he ascend to a full Urdahl or will his visions of blood come to pass? The turning season has begun. Taking place before the events of the Shadowbinders trilogy, āSilence is Silverā is a novella for both old and new readers. |
Rites of Winter (Inheritance, 6) by AK Faulkner Let the Wild Hunt begin! Tortured. Broken. Laurence and Quentin need time to heal. A layover in New York offers just that, but then Quentin vanishes in the worst blizzard the city has ever seen, and all Laurenceās Hunter gifts arenāt enough to track him down. Two gods have warred for centuries. One is trapped in Manhattan, and needs Laurenceās aid if heās to continue his vendetta. The other is confined to Annwn, the Land of the Dead. He needs Quentinās help if heās to win once and for all. Unlike gods theyāve encountered before, these ones arenāt frail. Not even close. But there really can be only one, and Laurence must fight to save Quentin before they both get trampled into dust. He canāt do it alone. |
Black Table by Anttimatti Pennanen Jon and Gus, science fiction fans from Finland with a penchant for fist bumping and pop culture references, travel to the Portland Comic Con where tragedy strikes. Their hero, Dr Wells, suffers a heart attack. With his dying breath, the doctor exhorts Jon to āfind the ā¦ā as he pushes a book into Jonās hands. Following clues inscribed in the book, Jon and Gus discover an alien structure with a mysterious Black Table which they accidently activate, transporting them to an alien world. Jumping from world to world via the Black Table galactic transportation network, Jon and Gus embark on the adventure of a lifetime where they encounter monsters, alien tech, giant vessels made of water and make new friends. But those friends are facing an unstoppable and mindless enemy. An enemy that is destroying the galaxy, and Earth is next in its path. Can two fans from Finland save the day? Black Table is a rollicking yarn of two likeable, wise-cracking friends who like nothing better than pranking each other. That is, except when they are not doing something more serious, like saving the universe. JOIN THE FIGHT, JOIN THE BLACK TABLE NETWORK! |
The Last Prince by E. G. Radcliff In a hellish city, the fate of a young boy rests on the very thing he fears mostā¦ Robbed of his childhood by tragedy and betrayal and forced onto the streets, only fury makes young Ninian feel whole - and in a world of gangs and fae, Ninian is more than willing to fight for his life. But it doesnāt take much to topple a life which is already balanced on the edge of a knife. And by the time a desperate Ninian realizes heās crossed the wrong person, it is much, much too late. In his frantic struggle to right his collapsing world, Ninianās furious, bloody efforts are dredging up history heād rather forget - the past is tired of being held at bay, and even fighting cannot protect Ninian from himself. So when he meets a crimson-eyed stranger, a boy so broken he refuses even to speak, Ninian does not believe he has the capacity to care. He is wrong. And that will change everythingā¦ (This title is a full length prequel to The Hidden King) |
The Light Must Hold by Kriss Gallom In a world without stars, divine crystals shield the folk of Esiaga from fiends that prowl the darkness. When Lior, a priest who communes with the crystals, prays to the deities and asks for their guidance, he is met only with silence. Guidance is something he yearns for as he watches his convent brothers either fall to creatures that lurk in the shadows or lose their minds trying to harness the power of the crystalsā light. That is, at least, until travelers arrive on behalf of the Queen. Sworn to come to their kingdomās aid in times of need, Lior and his convent brothers must make the hazardous pilgrimage to the capital, Bangol. The guidance Lior has always sought comes in the form of Elouan, the paladin sworn to guide the conventās caravan. Where Elouan leads Lior, however, deviates from the known path. The Light Must HoldĀ ā a classic dark fantasy adventure that combines fanciful prose and sisyphean struggles. |
A Pale Box on the Distant Shore by P.J. Nwosu A silent killer stalks the slum towers of Death City. In the shadow of a drowned death god, a young soldier risks his life to solve a violent crime. To catch a killer, Soldier Honnan Skyin carves a bloody trail over the behemoth bones of a dead giant and through the deepest forest of a frozen island. But some secrets should stay buried. Welcome to Death City. The Red Kingdom is a new series of dark mysteries in fantasy worlds that delve into a land of vicious crimes, strange lore and Purge House zealots. |
Heart, Haunt, Havoc by FreydĆs Moon Laced with romance, gothic imagery, Catholic mysticism, diaspora, and horrorā¦ When lonely transgender exorcist, Colin Hart, finds himself challenged by an unruly haunted house in Gideon, Colorado, heās kept awake by ghosts, demons, ghouls, and the handsome nonbinary owner of the house, Bishop MartĆnez. Unlike the simple hauntings Colin is accustomed to, Bishopās house is a living beacon, attracting a plethora of inhuman creatures, including a vengeful wolf-headed spirit who might be the key to quieting their sleepless nights. But as a heartbreaking mystery unravels, Colin comes face-to-face with the past Bishop tried to bury, opens a closet full of bloody skeletons, and trips into an accidental romance. As paranormally skilled as Colin might be, this particular haunting may be too messy for him to handleā¦ |
Legacy (Scion Book 1) by Jay Reace Years after fleeing their homeland, Xolani and Raine have finally been able to find peace. However, that peace is shattered when receiving a royal command to return and answer for what they've done for so long age. Do they take their children and flee or do anwser the call and fight? |
The Wild Court by E. G. Radcliff What perils await on the other side of the veil? In the seventh year of Ćed's reign, night descends on the autumn festival. But a time of revelry turns into one of fiery destructionāas fae pour across the veil and the Gut becomes a battlefield in an otherworldly war. Determined to protect his kingdom and the people he loves, Ćed finds himself catapulted into a realm as unfamiliar as it is dangerous, where magic is king and wild courts vie for supremacy. While the faerie Queen's missing consort holds the key to life and death, tenuous alliances raise questions about Ćedās connection to the mysterious Bone Court. His survival hinges on cunning as much as illusion. On a mission like no other, only one thing is certain: no one will survive unscathed. |
The Wolf in Me: Survive by Alex Smith The 23rd century is nearing its end. Having been treated as subhuman (and worse) for over 300 years, the Wolves - a race of wolf-human hybrids - have reached their breaking point. With a clear threat of war rising daily, the US Military devises a plan to destroy the beasts they helped create. However, utilizing their intelligence and raw bestial instincts, the Wolves hatch a plan of their own: plunge the entire world into a war to end all wars! In the aftermath of a deadly airship crash, Percy - a six-year-old human boy - finds himself behind enemy lines; in the claws of the creatures he's been taught to fear his entire life. Xander - a twenty-eight-year-old elite black ops Wolf, finds himself with a very difficult choice to make; kill the innocent child he has found, or be ostracized by his own kind and protect the boy? What is a small, frail, boy to do when surrounded by beasts fighting to end his very existence? Survive! |
Glimmer of The Other by Heather G Harris I can tell when youāre lying. Every. Single. Time. Iām Jinx. As a private investigator, being a walking, talking lie detector is a useful skill ā but letās face it, itās not normal. Youād think it would make my job way too easy, but even with my weird skills, I still havenāt been able to track down my parentās killers. When Iām hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar ā yet my gut tells me thereās more to this case than a party girl gone wild. Firstly, sheās a bookish soul whoās as likely to go off the rails as Mother Theresa. Secondly, Iām not the only one on her trail; sheās also being tracked by the implacable and oh-so-sexy Inspector Stone. Stone and I team up, and he shoves me into a realm where magic is real ā a place where there are vampyrs and werewolves, dragons and trolls. And where my skills are more than just detecting liesā¦ Oh, and my dog? Heās a freaking hellhound who can manipulate the magical realms themselves. I need to find the girl. I need to discover who killed my parents. And I need to find out more about the attractive but mysterious Zachary Stoneā¦ |
A Touch of Death by Rebecca Crunden A thousand years in the future, the last of humanity live inside the walls of the totalitarian Kingdom of Cutta. The rich live in Anais, the capital city of Cutta, sheltered from the famine and disease which ravage the rest of the Kingdom. Yet riches and power only go so far, and even Anaitians can be executed. It is only by the will of the King that Nate Anteros, son of the Kingās favourite, is spared from the gallows after openly dissenting. But when heās released from prison, Nate disappears. A stark contrast, Catherine Taenia has spent her entire life comfortable and content. The daughter of the Kingās Hangman and in love with Thom, Nateās younger brother, her life has always been easy, ordered and comfortable. That is, where it doesnāt concern Nate. His actions sullied not only his future, but theirs. And unlike Thom, Catherine has never forgiven him. Two years pass without a word, and then one night Nate returns. But things with Nate are never simple, and when one wrong move turns their lives upside down, the only thing left to do is run where the Kingās guards cannot find them ā the Outlands. Those wild, untamed lands which stretch around the great walls of the Kingdom, filled with mutants and rabids. |
The Headsman by Christina MƮrzoi Take a glimpse into the world of a headsman, a gloomy village in which each dweller has a secret: an evil witch, a shrewd florist, a naive young man, a foreign merchant, a dreadful husband, a mischievous maid, and a lustful duke. These stories are intertwined, weaving a dark narrative of love, trickery, brutality, and loss. Under the bleak aesthetic, raw human emotions unravel themselves in a gripping story about moral decay. In a world that belongs to the wicked, how far can one walk this path while keeping a clean conscience? The Headsman is a collection of short stories that focus on interconnected characters, sometimes looking at the same event from a different perspective. As a genre, it falls somewhere under dark fiction territory. |
Blanky by Kealan Patrick Burke In the wake of his infant daughter's tragic death, Steve Brannigan is struggling to keep himself together. Estranged from his wife, who refuses to be inside the house where the unthinkable happened, and unable to work, he seeks solace in an endless parade of old sitcoms and a bottle of bourbon. Until one night he hears a sound from his daughter's old room, a room now stripped bare of anything that identified it as hers...except for her security blanket, affectionately known as Blanky. Blanky, old and frayed, with its antiquated patchwork of badly sewn rabbits with black button eyes, who appear to be staring at the viewer... Blanky, purchased from a strange old man at an antique stall selling "BABY CLOSE" at a discount. The presence of Blanky in his dead daughter's room heralds nothing short of an unspeakable nightmare that threatens to take away what little light remains in Steve's shattered world. Because his daughter loved Blanky so much, he buried her with it. A new novella from the Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of SOUR CANDY and KIN. |
Three Meant To Be by M N Bennet Telepathic high school teacher Dorian prepares teen witches for professional casting because going in unprepared is what killed one of his partners. But new state mandates on magical proficiency make it nearly impossible, and Dorian worries he canāt give his students the education they really need. Seeking a distraction from work, Dorian kisses his still-living on-again off-again clairvoyant boyfriend, Milo. Instead of a distraction, Dorian glimpses Miloās vague vision involving the murder of Calebāone of Dorianās new students. Already devastated by the loss of his partner, Dorian refuses to stand aside and let Caleb die. He searches for clues by delving into Calebās mind. Rooting through Calebās memories alongside teaching classes leads Dorian to two more students: Calebās ex-best friend turned rival and the prodigy with connections to dangerous warlocks. However, each step further into his studentsā minds forces Dorian to confront his deteriorating relationship with Milo. After discovering a link involving illegal casting, Dorian resolves to work with Milo to prevent the impending vision. To succeed, Dorian will have to explore the potential of a future with Milo and find closure on their third partner, whose loss looms between them. But meddling with fate to save Caleb inadvertently draws the warlocks near, putting all his students in danger. Dorian will have to risk his life and gamble his second chance with Milo to keep his students alive. |
A Sea of Cinders by Adam R. Bishop In Cellagorāa land segregated between humans and Elvesāfear, manipulation and war are inevitable. Nearly one hundred years have passed since the War of the Fallen, a cataclysmic battle between human and Elf which left both races teetering on the brink of extinction. Now, the Age of Tranquility is finally nearing its end, and the northern King of Havelmir is hungry for power and revenge. The Elven peace of mind remains unchangedāthat is, until the Kingdom of Rhan is threatened by unknown forces. Soon it becomes clear that the tranquil Elven existence is once again at risk of crumbling. However, even with the element of surprise, the road to victory is not as smooth as it may seem. Ulterior motives are afoot, ancient magic is resurfacing, and an unlikely friendship between two young men may just pose the biggest threat of them all. |